


A Rather Large Problem

by DoobleBugs



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Borrowers if you squint?, Bug Tank AU, Gen, I'm putting my own spin on it, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-16 12:57:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21508306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoobleBugs/pseuds/DoobleBugs
Summary: An enormous monster destroys the town of Dirtmouth, taking some of the occupants back to its lair. Can Ghost, Hornet, and Hollow save them from the beast? And what exactly is this beast?
Relationships: Hornet/Myla (Hollow Knight), Quirrel & Tiso (Hollow Knight), The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & Hornet & The Knight, The Knight & Quirrel (Hollow Knight), Tiso & Cloth
Comments: 126
Kudos: 505





	1. Bugnapped!

**Author's Note:**

> I am aware everyone and their mother has tried a Bugtank AU because come ON they're BUGS it's SO FITTING  
> But I'm taking my own spin on it! Taking inspiration from Borrower Fics!
> 
> Also I have a blog I guess  
> dooblebugs @ Tumblr

Dirtmouth was a simple town, built on the foundations of the failed kingdom of Hallownest. After the infection, many merchants and other bugs moved to the town in search of a new life and any potential riches deep within the corpse of the old kingdom.

It started as a normal day. The merchants were just setting up their wares to sell, the townsfolk were just starting to wake up, but there was something off. Something in the air that the townsfolk could feel. So small and so strange, no one could name the sensation. But it made their antennae twitch, ever so slightly, and put everyone on edge.

“Can you... _ feel  _ that?” Cloth asked. 

Tiso scoffed. “You need to be more specific than that.” He shivered slightly but tried not to draw attention to it.

“There!” She exclaimed. “You felt it too! Maybe not the same way I did, but you felt it!”

“Sssshhhhhut up!” He half-whispered, half-hissed.

It was subtle in the beginning. There was a quiet rumble, and the ground quivered. “W-What was that?” A little miner bug stuttered, going to hide behind the closest bug nearby. 

Said bug happened to be Quirrel. “Myla, Relax! I’m sure it’s just a cave in. These things happen.”

Myla looked up at him with fear on her face. “B-But...Ghost and their siblings are down there! A-Aare they gonna be OK??” She trembled, clinging to his legs. “Can’t you feel it? Something b-bad is going to happen!”

Quirrel would be lying if he said that he didn't agree; since he woke up, he had been walking on metaphorical eggshells. His antennae - highly sensitive to vibrations and sensations in the air - had been giving him warning signs all morning, and it took a lot of effort not to curl up into a little pill-bug ball and hide.

He pat her head and chuckled, mostly to hide his own uncertainty. “I’m sure they’ll be fine! You know them, they’re the most stubborn bugs I’ve ever met. If they were in a cave in, I’m positive they’d dig themselves out.” With an eye-roll, he muttered under his breath, “And probably attempt to fight the cave itself.”

The ground shook. And it shook again.

With one more shake, the world itself seemed to tremble in tandem, and a bug screamed,  _ “EARTHQUAKE!” _

And all hell broke loose. Everyone panicked, voices loud and terrified, running in different directions. Some ran to their homes to hide, others ran to the hills. Quirrel did neither. Instead, he curled up into a little ball and sat there.

“Quirrel! You can’t hide here!” Myla squeaked, trying to push him towards the elevator near the Crystal Peaks. “You’re not even technically hiding!”

An unlikely hero in the form of Tiso ran to her side. “You two need to get somewhere safe! And what the  _ HELL  _ is Quirrel doing?!”

The world trembled, Tiso and Myla almost falling over. “I’ve never felt earthquakes like these!” He thought aloud, stepping over to try and lift Quirrel up. Tiso struggled, barely able to pick up the pill bug. “WYRM  _ DAMMIT _ QUIRREL! WHY ARE YOU SO HEAVY?!”

Another earth-shaking quake sent Myla hiding behind the warrior bug. “I-It’s like footsteps!”

“Don’t be stupid!” Tiso snapped, shifting Quirrel in one hand and grabbing Myla with the other. He was trying to run to the Crystal Peaks, but the task was proving difficult while he was holding two bugs, and the world was shaking so bad it was giving him vertigo. “Nothing is that big! Not even Gods!”

Myla screamed at the top of her lungs, pointing to the sky. A shadow fell over the town of Dirtmouth.

It was indescribable. It was bigger than anything that Tiso or Myla had ever seen. It towered over mountains, blocking out the sky with its form. Tiso was stunned, only managing a fearful squeak, and Myla couldn’t stop screaming.

Quirrel squirmed out of Tiso’s grip and uncurled himself. “What’s with the screaming?” He asked, incredibly confused. “We’re already in the worst earthquake potentially ever, and now you two are-”

Only then did the pill bug glance up to stare at the goliath looming over them. The little miner’s voice cracked, and the rest of the scream died in her throat. “Maybe...if we don’t make any sudden movements...whatever that  _ thing  _ is will leave us alone-”

In front of them, Cloth burst from the ground, waving her club and letting out a loud war-cry. “FACE ME, GREAT BEAST!” 

The three bugs tried in vain to get Cloth to stop drawing attention to herself and them by dragging her off, but she was too big and they were too late.

The giant monster shifted, causing another massive quake that seemed to shake the bugs to their very core. A hand reached down, larger than any house in the town, reaching for them. 

Cloth was first to be snatched up, the monster grabbing her club. She refused to let go of her weapon and was hoisted into the air, vanishing. “Oh wyrm, oh wyrm of wyrms!” Tiso cursed, every part of his body telling him to run, to run as fast as he could, but he found himself frozen.

It was fitting that he was taken next, as the hand reached for him, he finally unrooted himself from the ground to try and run, but he was too slow. Tiso shouted and cursed before he too vanished, his profanities muffled by distance.

“Q-Quirrel…” Myla whimpered, holding Quirrel’s leg in a death grip. “I’m scared!”

Quirrel was quiet, watching the hand return for them next. “...yeah. Me too.”

He found himself pinned, two fingers holding his sides in place in a surprisingly gentle but firm grip. Myla found herself being dragged along for the ride, the two bugs being lifted into the air. Quirrel told himself not to look down, but he couldn’t help it. The sheer height he was at was enough to make his stomach churn. 

The giant held them for a moment, a horrified silence falling over the bugs. Despite the low visibility, Quirrel saw the giant reach for something. Myla whimpered, but all he could bear his heart's frantic beating in his ears, slightly concerned it would burst.

The giant held something below them and lowered them inside the strange, see-through prison. 

It was a giant jar. How incredibly demeaning. 

A giant eye peered at them, magnified by the owner’s size. The tiny details made it all the more intimidating. Poor little Myla couldn't handle the fear anymore, and fainted, going limp on the glass bottom of the jar that they were being held in.

Their world shifted again as the giant moved the jar into a sort of pack, full of empty jars. Well, except for two. Next to Quirrel and Myla's jar was Tiso and Cloth in two separate containers. 

Cloth was furious, her loud shouting muffled by the glass but still very audible. And Tiso was curled up, pressed up against one of the jar walls, shaking like a leaf. His eyes darting around anxiously.

As if to show how truly helpless the situation was, the giant creature close the pack, slowly enveloping the bugs in total darkness.

* * *

In the Ancient Basin, Hornet tilted her head in thought. She and her siblings came down this deep looking for arcane eggs, as that relic seeker would pay a good amount for them, and they needed groceries.

But then the walls started shaking. Not too much to warrant alarm, but enough to make the three rather puzzled.

"It can't be a cave-in," Hornet said. "It's too frequent. Perhaps a large bug is stomping around up there."

She turned to Ghost and Hollow, looking through the Hunter's Journal. "What do you two think? I'm gonna bet it's a Brooding Mawlek."

Ghost shook their head, showing her the page on Gruz Mothers. "Gruz Mother, hm? It's a bit deep for those...Hollow, what do you think?"

Hollow said nothing, of course, but gently took the Hunter's Journal from Ghost to flip through it for a moment. They showed a picture of a Husk Guard.

She shook her head. "Definitely not one of them, there's no infection anymore."

Hollow tossed the journal back to their younger sibling and pointed up to the ceiling. The shaking became weaker and weaker, and soon it was gone entirely.

"... whatever it was, it stopped for now. Do you two want to head back up to check? I believe we found an arcane egg good enough in quality to give to the relic seeker. It'll be enough for tonight's dinner at least."

Her siblings nodded, and she grabbed her bag. "Excellent. Back to Dirtmouth."

* * *

To say that the siblings returned to chaos would be an understatement. Dirtmouth was almost totally destroyed, rubble from destroyed houses scattered all over, bugs crawling over the debris to look for survivors.

“What happened!?” Hornet loudly asked, stepping over to a bug crawling out from under some rubble. “Is everyone OK?!”

“I-I think some bugs are still trapped, but they’re being dug out.” The bug replied.

Ghost and Hollow joined the search parties while Hornet looked for answers. “Can anyone tell me what happened? We were only gone for an hour!” 

Elderbug, albeit very shaken, was unharmed and able to reply. “W-We thought it was an Earthquake...but it wasn't…"

Confused, she pressed further. "So? What was it?"

Hollow reached into some rubble, pulling out a very frightened looking Cornifer. He shouted, "It was a huge monster! It's footsteps shook the earth and heavens!"

Other bugs started to join in with their own terrifying experience. "It blocked out the sky!"

"It was taller than the mountains!"

"I thought I was going to  _ DIE!" _

"Whoa, everyone calm down!" Hornet yelled, trying to get everyone to stop talking. "So you're all in agreement; a giant monster came and destroyed the town?"

"T-That's not all!" Cornifer was shaking like a leaf, struggling to speak. "I-I think….I think it  _ took _ people! Snatched them out of the sky like a horrible vengefly!"

"I saw it!" Came a squeak. Bretta stepped forward. "I was hiding in my house when it happened! It took four bugs, one by one! Its hands looked like talons mixed with tentacles!"

"You're going to go rescue them, right Hornet?"

"Yeah! You and your siblings are going to go save them!"

Ghost nodded, holding out their nail with determination. Hollow simply nodded, bowing their head respectfully. However, Hornet was much more cynical. "I cannot guarantee their safety, but going after this monster sounds like the best thing to do. My siblings and I will hunt this monster, and you should rebuild the town."

The bugs cheered, eagerly starting to pick up rubble and whatnot. Hornet turned to Bretta. "Listen, I need you to tell us who was taken. Can you do that?"

Bretta hummed, antennae twitching as she thought. "Well, I didn't see the first two. But the screaming sounded like Tiso, and the shouting sounded like Cloth."

Hornet internally groaned. Of course those two would get bugnapped. Ghost, however, hung onto every word she said. The little vessel adored those two morons, saving them from death from the colosseum and at the hands of traitor mantises.

"That's two, what about the others?"

"Well, I looked outside, and saw Quirrel and Myla." Bretta continued. "Quirrel was frozen in fear and Myla was holding onto his legs. When the monster grabbed him, Myla came along for the ride, I suppose."

Cloth, Tiso, Quirrel, and Myla. Four bugs taken by a monster. Hornet slowly nodded as Ghost looked distraught by the whole scenario. They tugged on Hornet's cloak, a very clear  _ "Let's get going already _ " gesture.

"Calm yourself," Hornet told them. "We still have no clue where this beast went. We need to find their trail."

"That's easy!" A voice piped up. Sly scurried up to them. "I can fly up and take a look for you, miss! No cost at all."

Hornet was suspicious. "How incredibly out of character, Sly. But we would greatly appreciate it."

He nodded, mumbling about how if there weren't shops rebuilt he'd be out of business. Once he was high enough, he looked around for tracks made by the giant. He squinted, as if he wasn't sure what he was looking at was right. "Erm, Miss? I found some tracks!"

"Excellent!" She called up to him. "Show me where!"

"Well uh...you're standing in one!"

Slowly, with stunned silence, the three siblings noticed they were indeed, standing in a large imprint of a foot. Hornet crawled out, climbing to the top of a building to get a better look. This footprint was as long as a house was tall and she could see even more in the distance. 

“Wow...those are really big tracks.” Hornet muttered, suddenly unsure of the mission. If these were just the  _ tracks _ , and if it really did pick up four bugs so easily, just how big was this monster?

Nearby, Sly scoffed. “What, did you think we were  _ lying _ to you?”

She shook her head, defensive. “No, no. I’ve just never encountered anything this large.”

Returning to her siblings, she said, “Right. Gather whatever you need, and we’ll leave for the rescue mission.”


	2. Scientific Observations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops I wrote a ton  
> Also Grimm cameo  
> love that nerd

Tess struggled with her keys for a moment, trying to remember which one opened the back door. “Oh god, how did I remember…is it the one that kinda looks like a chicken? If it’s greyish black...it opens the - Oh OK there we go!”

Opening the back door, she took a mental note about how she should color code her new keys and maybe oil the back door.

Placing her keys and phone on the kitchen counter, she rummaged through some small piles of junk, mumbling to herself. “Doop doo do, where did I put it now?”

Finally, Tess found her prize. A small voice recorder. Flicking the on switch, she spoke into the little recorder. “Day three of the new house, I finished packing earlier than I thought, so I was able to take a walk in the woods behind the house. Not too many lads in the foliage, but I found a little rocky patch barely five minutes away full of the bug boys.”

Setting the recorder on the counter, she shifted her backpack in order to reach inside it. “I managed to snag a couple of little guys! I didn’t recognize them immediately, probably because I’m running on three days worth of sugar and caffeinated soft drinks.”

Gingerly, to not upset the little passengers inside, she set each jar on the table. “I thought I grabbed three, but there were two tangled together! Freebie!”

Tess paused, looking at the bugs inside the jars. None of them looked remotely familiar to her. “Ooh, either the caffeine has finally affected my brain, or these are new bugs! Oh this is gonna be fun!”

* * *

Quirrel had passed the limits of his fear and anxiety. He was so frightened that he had become numb. In fact, part of him believed it was just a horrible dream. There was no way this was _ really _ happening.

He was only vaguely aware of an unconscious Myla leaning next to him, of Cloth shouting in the jar over, and Tiso whispering about ‘the walls closing in’. If not for Myla's lumafly lantern, they'd truly be in the dark.

The jar that was his prison was too slick to climb up, so no chance of escape that way. He thought about waking Myla up to see if she could stand on him to reach, but they still wouldn't reach the top.

All Quirrel could do was sit there and wait for... something.

"Wait, why didn't this thing eat us?" He thought aloud. "Do they not want to?"

"They could be taking us to its young!" Cloth replied to his hypothetical question. "And I'd like to see it try! I'd tear my way out!" She slammed her club against the glass, and it didn't leave so much as a scuff. "This magic forcefield is tough!"

Quirrel frowned and looked at her. "...it's not magic, it's glass."

She was quiet for a moment. "...maybe it's magic glass."

"It isn't."

Without warning, the world shook as the giant moved the bag they were in. The bag opened and a giant hand rummaged inside, looking for their jars.

Quirrel pressed himself against the opposite side of the glass, hoping it wouldn't grab the jar that held him and Myla. In the back of his mind, he noticed that the hand wasn't covered in chitin, instead it looked rather... squishy. Like a grub or a freshly molted bug.

It grabbed the top of Tiso's jar, lifting the jar and him out of the bag and out of sight. With muted terror, Quirrel watched as the hand grabbed his jar and pulled it out as well.

The Giant's lair was incredibly bright. It must have had lots of lumafly lanterns, glowing mushrooms, or another light source around. The jars were set on a flat surface.

The giant stood in front of them, just...looking at them. The surface they were set on allowed them to see the giant from a better angle, at least. But it was still almost incomprehensible with how large it was. 

_ "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!"  _ Tiso shrieked, kicking the glass walls of his jar.  _ "EAT US ALREADY YOU COWARD!" _

Myla stirred, slowly sitting up. "I had the most awful-" She froze, looking at Quirrel, the jar she was in, and the giant in front of her. Finally, she squeaked, "...I was hoping it was just a dream."

The giant turned away, evidently looking for something _. How strange a creature _ , Quirrel thought. It didn't possess any wings, antennae, pincers, or mandibles of any kind. It didn't look like any bug he's ever seen. 

The giant returned, placing strange objects on the table next to them. They were made of what looked to be glass and silver. "W-What is it doing?" Myla asked, grasping Quirrel's hand tight.

He was just as confused as her. What monster would need such implements? Jars? Glass? Silver? Lumaflies? This wasn't adding up.

The giant picked up a silver tool and moved back to the jars. It seemed to ponder for a minute, then turned to Cloth. Slowly opening the jar, it reached in with its tool to gently remove Cloth-

And then Quirrel understood.

This monster was a scholar.

* * *

Tess had a difficult time deciding what bug to look at first. Two of them seemed highly aggressive, while the other two didn't do much of anything, just sat in their jar.

She decided to get the aggressive ones out of the way first. She'd observe, then put them in their temporary enclosures. She was tempted to put all four in one enclosure; that was how she found them, after all.

Taking the larger, loudest bug out of the jar with a pair of tweezers, Tess ever so gently set her down into a little dish in order to get a closer look.

She reached for her recorder. "Specimen one is a little larger than the others. Dark blue carapace, black legs, a large scar on their belly, can't identify gender...little bit of trash on their head. I found them holding an old tooth, perhaps from a small omnivore." She picked up her trusty tweezers. "C'mon now, let's get that trash off your head."

Upon gently grabbing the scrap of fabric, the bug fought back, squeaking with anger and trying to attack the tweezers. They picked up the tooth and hit the tweezers with it.

Tess paused. Did...did this bug just use the tooth like a club? No, no, it must have been something else. "The noises they're making sounds like a cicada! Perhaps this one is a new subspecies." Giving up on removing the piece of trash, she moved to try and grab the tooth, only to be met with similar resistance.

“Fine then, keep your garbage.” She muttered under her breath, stepping away to turn on her music and get some sugar water. “If you are a cicada, I can’t really keep you. Sorry sweetie, cicada’s don’t do so well in captivity. I’ll have to release you.”

Returning with a little bottle cap full of sugar water, Tess found the cicada trying to crawl out of the clear plastic dish. “Hey! That’s not allowed! Get back in there you!” She playfully scolded, gently pushing the bug back inside. “Here, try some of this.” Placing the bottle cap inside the dish, she turned to one of the temporary enclosures she’s set up.

Being temporary, they weren’t very complex. Some nice dirt, some hides, leaves, twigs, the basics. Turning back to the cicada, she was disappointed to see the bug pick up the bottle cap and toss it out of the dish. “Yoooooooooou lil’ shit.”

Picking back up the recorder, she said, “Let the records show that this possible cicada is indeed, a little shit.” Placing the recorder back down, she huffed. “Alright, let’s put you in the enclosure for now.”

Using the tweezers once again, Tess put the bug in the enclosure and closed the lid.

“Alright, who’s next?”

* * *

Quirrel watched the giant handle Cloth from inside his jar, but with a different perspective. He tried not to see this giant creature as a terrible monster that destroyed the town and bugnapped him and his friends, but as a scholar, like him.

It was proving difficult.

Despite how gentle it appeared, the giant was still keeping them prisoner, even if it moved Cloth to a fancier prison.

The giant moved to Tiso's jar. "TRY ME! I'LL KILL YOU!" He shrieked. But Quirrel knew better. Tiso was all talk and no bite. He clearly remembered the fool talking non-stop at the Blue Lake, completely ruining the serenity of the lake for Quirrel.

But fear can do a lot to a bug.

The tweezers reached down as they had for Cloth. But with adrenaline running through his veins, Tiso climbed on the tweezers, using them as a way to get up and escape the jar.

"Go Tiso!" Myla cheered.

The giant made a noise of displeasure, using its other hand to act as a wall to stop the fleeing bug.

Tiso clearly didn't think his escape plan very thoroughly, freezing in place as the giant grabbed him with the tweezers.

He too was placed in the same glass dish Cloth was, but Tiso stood still. Quirrel could see him shaking, but refusing to move; his own little way to show resilience.

The giant almost seemed to coo, gently prodding the warrior with the tweezers. It spoke into the strange silver box in their free hand, and Quirrel wondered what it could be.

Tiso only moved when the giant attempted to remove his hat. Tiso shouted obscenely, grabbing the edges of his hat to keep it firmly on his head. 

Frustrated, the giant set the tweezers down and reached into the dish with its fingers to try and pull his hat off.

So Tiso bit them.

Hard.

The giant yelped in pain, its other hand flying to - what Quirrel assumed to be - its mouth. In a surprising show of restraint, it waited for Tiso to let go before running off to wash the bite.

Tiso spat and stuck out his tongue in disgust, red liquid around his mouth. "Eugh…vile."

The giant returned, stomping in anger and shaking everything. It spoke briefly into the little silver box, words laced with venom, before using the tweezers to pick Tiso up and put him in the glass box with Cloth.

Quirrel gulped. They were next.

But instead of poking and prodding him with the tweezers, the giant picked Quirrel up and placed him in the box, Myla following shortly afterward.

"I think you upset it." He told Tiso.

Tiso sputtered with rage, and it took him a moment to speak actual sentences. "Oh?!  _ I  _ upset it?!  _ I UPSET THE GIANT MONSTER THAT TOOK US?! I'M SOOOOO  _ _ SORRY _ _!" _

The box shook as the giant lifted it into the air. The giant looked at them, frowning. Then, it put the box back down on the counter, stomping off somewhere unseen.

Myla was the first to speak. "At least we're not in jars!"

* * *

Hollow had insisted - which involved a long, frustrating game of charades - to stay in Dirtmouth until they were certain everyone was OK. While Hollow and Hornet worked on damage control, Ghost went to the shops to buy supplies.

Hornet checked the outskirts, offering quiet words of encouragement to anyone she passed. Comforting wasn’t her strong suit, but her confident presence was enough to raise their spirits.

It was nice to have such a presence, even though Hornet had no confidence in the mission ahead.

Saving bugs from a creature larger than the mountains? A beast so tall its head scraped the bottom of the sky? Yeah, right. Why not pluck a star from the heavens while they were at it?

But even if those moronic bugs were eaten, they should at least find where the lair is. Hornet scoffed. Wyrms above, at least the monster took the idiots.

...Well...almost.

_ Hornet couldn’t help but tilt her head at the little miner following Ghost from the Crystal Peaks. Their little sibling loved to bring lost souls to Dirtmouth, she assumed this one was no different. _

_ The little miner bug looked rather sheepish, bowing to the princess. “H-Hi there! I’m Myla! I came from the mines. B-But the infection clouded my mind...I need a break.” _

_ Oh gods. She was so cute. Hornet just wanted to eat her up. She was quiet for a moment, thinking about the perfect thing to say. _

_ “You are very small. And weak. I’m sure monsters would devour you if given the chance.” _

_ Myla whimpered and sniffled, looking like she was about to cry. Ghost glared at their sister, pulling the little miner away. _

_ “...I don’t think I said that right.” _

Hornet was so busy reminiscing she hadn’t noticed that she had wandered into the Grimm Fairground. They seemed fine, aside from a few squished tents. They didn’t even seem worried.

“Ah, hello daughter of Wyrm.” A voice cooed. Troupe Master Grimm stood next to her, somehow sneaking by. He held Grimmchild in the crook of his arm, petting the child between the horns. “Quite an eventful day, wouldn’t you agree?”

Immediately taking a defensive stance, Hornet hissed, “You seem rather blasé about the whole ‘giant’ fiasco.”

Grimm chuckled. “Yes, I’ve encountered ‘giants’ before. They’re called  _ humans _ .”

“Hyu-mans?” She asked, sounding incredulous. “Tell me what you know. We’re going after the one that destroyed the town.”

The troupe master cackled at the notion. “Don’t be foolish! No bug has hunted a human and lived to tell the tale!” He loomed over her, smiling a wicked grin. “Humans are one of the cruelest life forms I’ve ever encountered. The lucky ones are taken to be mummified. The unlucky ones are torn limb from limb by human larva.”

Hornet tried not to think about what that might look like. “There’s something you haven’t taken account of, King of Nightmares.”

Grimm gave her a smirk. “And what would that be?”

Head held high, she replied, “Because I’m the princess of Deepnest, daughter of Wyrm and Beast.”

He chuckled, turning to his tent. “Come. I want to help you. I have a gift for you and your siblings.”

She had no reason to doubt Grimm. Grimm and his lackeys were rather creepy and pretentious, but otherwise harmless. With caution, Hornet followed him.

Inside the larger tent, Grimm led her to a little side room, barren except for a lantern in the middle. “This fire is enchanted, little one.” Grimm purred, stepping closer. “It will never extinguish. We use the embers to keep our own lamps lit.”

Hornet was unimpressed. “We have Lumafly lanterns.”

“Lumaflies can escape. Accept the gift, or not.” He shrugged, flicking his cape behind him. “I am willing to spare an ember for your death quest.”

Mulling it over in her head, she finally replied, “It’s not a death quest, I’ll prove you wrong. We’ll take an ember before we leave.”

* * *

Ghost tapped their new little nightmare lantern, happy with their new light source. As the pale siblings prepared to leave, their friends - what the giant didn’t bugnap - came to see them off.

“Oh, please, please come back safe!” Elderbug said, giving the little vessel a goodbye hug. Hornet and Hollow didn’t exactly do ‘hugs’, especially not from anyone other than Ghost.

Iselda didn’t follow this rule at all, giving each sibling a tight hug and a kiss to the forehead. Only Hornet squirmed from all the affection.

“I don’t know how long we’ll be,” Hornet told them. “But I can assure all of you that we will be as swift as we can. And we will do our best to return with those who were taken.”

With the bugs cheering for them, the three turned and headed for the Howling Cliffs. The human footprints were large and very clear from the top of the cliffs, stretching off into the dusty expanse.

Hornet took in a deep breath, then out. “Here we go, no turning back.”

“Let’s go find a human.”


	3. Ticking Clock

“So you’re telling us that you think this giant doesn’t actually want to hurt us?” Cloth frowned at Quirrel, having difficulties believing him. 

He was having a hard time believing it himself. "Well, the giant hasn't hurt us yet, despite having many opportunities to!"

She rested a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps you are experiencing shock. Are you OK?"

"Oh, no. Absolutely not. But my point still stands!"

Tiso didn't respond to Quirrel, too busy pacing along the glass wall of their new enclosure, muttering to himself. "Too small...too small...the walls are too close…."

"Erm, Tiso?" Quirrel hesitantly stepped forward, tapping the warrior on the back. "You alright?"

Spinning around, Tiso took several breaths to calm his nerves. Then, he glared at Quirrel. "I am the  _ opposite _ of alright. I am TRAPPED in a GIANT'S LAIR IN A GLASS CAGE."

The pill bug stepped back to avoid Tiso’s rage. “Well, as I was telling Cloth and Myla, I don’t believe the giant intends to hurt us. At least not directly. And if I may be so bold, I honestly believe they’re a scholar, like me!”

“WE ARE STILL IN A PRISON, QUIRREL, YOU DUMBASS!” He shrieked. “HARMLESS OR NOT WE’RE STILL HERE!” His breathing grew faster, more shallow. He tugged on his hood anxiously. “T-The walls...the walls are getting closer!”

Quirrel blinked, confused. He looked at Cloth and Myla, who seemed equally as puzzled. “Erm, the walls haven’t moved.”

“Yes, they have! They’re getting closer!” Tiso insisted, becoming pale and clammy. “They’re closing in on us! Oh wyrm-”

Cloth grabbed him by the shoulders and shook. “Tiso! Tiso this is Cloth speaking! Everything is going to be OK!”

“CLOTH YOU’RE CRUSHING ME.”

Quirrel sat down on a piece of wood with Myla. To the frightened fool, he said, "I believe you have claustrophobia. The fear of small spaces. It's perfectly normal."

"Ooh! I've never heard of claustrophobia!" Myla said. "Honestly, I find comfort in small spaces."

Cloth nodded in agreement. “Here, Tiso. I’ll dig you a nice hole to rest in. That’s what I do when I feel scared!”

Quirrel ignored the three, looking around at their glass prison. The walls were completely seamless, and a little tunnel in the soil showed there was a glass bottom as well. But the top connected separately, with what looked to be a trapdoor at the very top, out of reach.

Or was it?

“Hey, hey! I have an idea!” Pointing to the trapdoor, Quirrel said, “There’s an exit! If we can reach it, maybe we can escape!”

“Who put you in charge?!” Tiso demanded, earning a smack to the back of the head from Cloth.

“Be nice to him! We’re on our own, and Quirrel’s got good ideas! Now let’s get up to that trapdoor and get out of here!”

They got to work immediately, moving the rocks and logs in the cage to use to their advantage. Quirrel scrambled to the top, pushing against the trapdoor with all his might.

With a quiet 'pop!' the door flung open. "Wow! That was a lot easier than I thought it would be." Quirrel climbed out of the box, then offered his hand to the others. "C'mon, I'll help you out and we can escape. We have to be quiet, and we have to be quick." He whispered.

The bugs crawled out of the cage and onto the floor, wondering where to go next. "Where's the exit in this place?" Tiso asked, hesitantly peeking around the corner of the box. "You'd think a giant monster would have a giant exit."

Cloth tapped the floor with her club. "This isn't dirt or stone...I think it's wood!"

"Can you dig through it?" Myla asked, reaching for the pickaxe not on her back. "I-I'd offer to help, but I think I left my tools at home…"

Giving the ground several pats to test it, Cloth said, "No good. Too strong for me."

Quirrel glanced around. Wherever they were, it was covered in strange structures and objects. Nothing looked anything remotely similar to Hallownest. Just how far from home were they? "I think that's a cliff edge, over there. Maybe we can scale down?"

"All the way over there?!" Tiso struggled to keep his voice low, coming out as a strangled shout.

Keeping his cool, Quirrel started to walk in the direction of the cliff. "Do you have a better idea?"

They didn't. So they started quietly sneaking over to the edge of the cliff with hopes of freedom.

* * *

Tess couldn't remember the last time an insect had drawn blood. The bug had gotten her good, enough to put a halt on looking at the other two bugs to clean herself up and take a break.

She washed her finger and bandaged it, hoping she wouldn't need a hospital visit from insect venom.

The bug in question didn't look like a spider or a wasp, Tess assumed it was a type of ant. A soldier perhaps; ants were rarely that big unless they were soldiers.

"I'm gonna name it the Jackass Ant." She muttered to herself. "As a warning to others."

She needed something to do while she waited for any possible health risks from the bite popped up, so she put on a movie and sat on the couch.

Unable to totally pry herself away from some kind of work, she grabbed her notebook to sketch what the new specimens looked like.

Tess started thinking; these looked nothing like the other bugs in her collection. Or any bug in general. They didn't have six limbs or multiple eyes, she didn't see any wings or antennae, or anything of the sort.

She swore one of them - the one she didn't look too closely at - had a completely white face. That was so strange! 

Had she discovered new bugs? Or something else entirely?

"Hold on, I need some thinking cheese." Pausing the movie and setting the notebook aside, she got up and headed for the kitchen. "Maybe some thinking chocolate-"

Tess froze in the doorway to the kitchen, immediately noticing that the lid was off the enclosure  _ and the bugs were gone.  _ Rushing over, she found the little top opened and all the decorations inside pushed to the middle.

"What the  _ fuck _ ?!? Did they...did they escape by moving these?!" That was beyond the average intelligence of the typical cicada, ant, or any other bug she's ever seen. 

Out of the corner of her vision, she saw movement. Her escapees, slowly moving away from her. It was almost as if they were trying to be sneaky to avoid detection.

She played along, turning her back to them as she looked for a capture cup. Once she got a large enough one to contain them all, she spun around as fast as she could and slammed the cup over them.

The bugs panicked, surprised that she caught them. Tess huffed and puffed, looking for her recorder. When she turned back around, the bugs were pushing on one side of the cup to continue moving away.

“Hey! Hey! What the hell, you guys?” She asked them, placing a small paperweight on top of the cup. Glaring at them with a mix of anger and surprise, she took the time to get a closer look at the two bugs she overlooked before.

The littlest bug was blue with a lighter belly, looking like a small beetle. It was cowering behind the cicada.

The final bug was about an inch tall; it had a pure white face and two black eyes. It too was a dark blue with a lighter belly. Tess thought it looked like a chubby little pill bug. While the other bugs were frantically still pushing against the glass or cowering in fear, this pill bug stood there, staring back at her.

Slowly, the pill bug waved at her.

And in amazement, Tess waved back.

These were  _ not  _ normal bugs. 

Tess slid a piece of paper under the cup, carefully taking them back to the enclosure. As gently as she could, she put them back inside and closed the lid. But this time, she put a geode - part of a collection, given to her by a friend - on top. “No escaping this time, OK?” She told them, knowing perfectly well they couldn’t understand her nor listen.

Her gaze lingered for a moment on the pill bug. It was already testing the little door to see if it would budge.

Immediately she went to her PC, looking through her contact list. Only one of her colleagues were in the area and online, so she called him.

“Hey, Harold.” She greeted, trying not to sound upset. Tess and Harold never truly got along, Harold was a such a smart-ass sometimes. “Listen, I think I’ve discovered something...unusual with regards to insect intelligence...uh uh. Yeah, if you could come over. Tomorrow afternoon? Yeah, that’s fine. Whatever Harold, see you then.”

* * *

The dusty wastelands were a trial to overcome. The winds were brutal and chilling, the bitter cold digging deep into your core, refusing to leave.

Hornet laughed the first time her little sibling fell onto their back like a little newborn Balder. The second, third, fourth, and fifth time? Not as funny. Still rather funny, but it was slowing their progress.

Ghost was nestled inside their eldest sibling’s robe, away from the winds. But Hornet and Hollow still had to endure. “Come on, lots of bugs make this journey...if they can travel through these lands, so can we,” Hornet told her siblings, trying to raise their spirits. “It will be a cold day in Hell when I let  _ Zote _ travel these lands better than us.”

Hollow nodded in agreement. 

They took a brief rest in a small cave made of ancient shells. “Alright, we can rest here. I’m unsure how far the wastelands go on for…” Hornet rummaged through her pack. “I’m starving, I’m having some rations.”

Despite her best efforts, there weren’t any rations to be found. The only thing close to anything edible she found was a jar of honey. No...this couldn’t be-

_ “Ghost?”  _ Hornet hissed, voice sickeningly sweet. Little Ghost peeked their head out from Hollow’s cloak.  _ “Little Ghost, where are the rations?” _

Ghost hesitantly pointed to the jar of honey. 

Hornet’s grip on the jar tightened, so much so she was afraid the jar would break. “You grub! We’re going to be hunting this human for who knows how long, and the only thing you packed for the three of us to eat was a jar of honey?! Ghost, I need  _ meat! _ And I’m certain Hollow could drink this whole thing in under a minute!”

Hollow perked up, reaching for the jar, but she pulled it away. “Hollow, that wasn’t an invitation. And you were supposed to double-check!”

Her siblings shrunk back, Ghost hiding inside the larger vessel’s cloak. Hollow tilted their head, giving her a look that she saw as  _ ‘Well, why didn’t you double-check?’ _

Angry, she shoved the jar back inside the bag. “C’mon let’s go. Maybe if we’re lucky we’ll run into some prey.” Hornet stormed out of the cave, her fury putting the furious winds to shame.

Wary of their sibling’s wrath, Hollow followed, holding their little sibling close to their chest under their cloak.

Hornet was silent, no doubt still upset at the two. Her anger was quiet but strong, and Hollow kept their distance in case she lashed out.

The sky darkened, and an ominous rumble filled the air. They paused, puzzled and concerned. “...what the hell-”

The heavens opened and unleashed a downpour on the siblings. But this wasn’t a City of Tears light sprinkling. These raindrops were as big as Hornet, and they could drown if they got caught in a drop.

“Run! Run, we need to find shelter!” She shouted, running in the direction of - what she hoped was - the end of the wastelands.

Hollow set Ghost on their head, freeing their good arm in order to pick up their sister. Normally, Hornet would object to being picked up and held like a child, but she didn’t mind so much when fleeing from danger.

While their sibling fled from the rain, she looked for a possible shelter. As they ran, the dust and the wind died away, the soil shifting to a browner color. Giant plants blocked the sky, but the rain did not cease. “I think we’re out of the wastelands! But we still need shelter!”

“There!” Hornet pointed to a small structure in the distance with a red flag. “An outpost! I think? Better than nothing.”

The ‘outpost’ looked like a half-sunken building, the roof slightly ajar to allow them to enter. The ceiling was being held up by a very thin log, and the room was very circular. It was a strange outpost, Hornet had never seen one built like it before. But it was dry, and that was enough for them.

Hollow and Ghost shook themselves off as she looked around. It smelled  _ strange _ , bitter and foreign. “What kind of bugs built this? This is a poor outpost. No bedrolls, no windows, no storage-”

Ghost tugged on her cloak, pointing to a pile near the log. It smelled very sweet, a stark contrast to how bitter everything else smelled. “Is that...fruit? What is a pile of fruit doing here-?”

Hollow stepped closer, reaching forward to gather some of the fruits.

Then everything clicked.  _ This wasn’t an outpost, this was a trap. _

“Hollow! NO!-” But the warning came too late. Her eldest sibling grabbed a fruit and bumped into the support beam, causing the log to snap in half. The lid of the trap closed tight, trapping the siblings inside.

Her heart sank. She couldn’t believe that they fell for a trap so  _ obvious _ . Hollow, sheepishly, put the fruit back in the pile and stepped away. 

Hornet sighed, getting comfortable on the floor. “Well, it looks like we’re going to be here for a while until whoever set up this trap checks it. Sit tight, you two.”

Ghost nodded, pulling out the Nightmare Lantern to light up the room. They put it on the ground and immediately went up to snuggle up with Hornet. Hollow joined them, nuzzling their mask against hers.

“Well, at least you two aren’t worried…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a bad feeling that Harold isn't as nice as our scientist...  
> And yes I did give Tiso claustrophobia b/c he probably would have it after being squished to near-death


	4. Dinner Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a shorter chapter! but these next ones are when things get fun!

Several hours had passed for the bugs currently trapped in the home of the giant, and something incredible happened.

They were growing  _ bored. _

Their giant captor, for the most part, had left them alone. They would come every hour or so to make sure they didn’t escape.

“I spy with my little eye…” Myla tapped her chin in thought, looking around their glass cage. “Something blue!”

“Is it me?” Quirrel asked, sounding very uninterested.

“You got it again! You’re so good at this!”

He sighed. He had been ‘it’ the past ten times in a row. Quirrel was incredibly jealous of Cloth, who buried herself in the soil and had somehow fallen asleep. He doubted he’d be getting any sleep for quite some time.

"I spy with my little eye, something blue!"

Quirrel sighed. "Me?"

Myla shook her head, looking very clever. "Nope!"

He sat up a little straighter. "Well if it's not me…" He glanced up to see Tiso, yet again pacing the edge of the enclosure. He hadn't stopped pacing since they were put back in. Constantly pacing, constantly mumbling, constantly on edge.

"Is it Tiso?"

Myla threw her hands up and cheered, "You got it! Twenty in a row!"

Quirrel was done with her game, standing up to talk to Tiso. "Look, my friend. You need to calm down!" 

“We both know that isn’t going to happen.” The fool muttered.

“Look, I don’t believe we are in immediate danger!” Quirrel said, exasperated. 

Tiso scoffed. “Stockholm syndrome. Shame.”

Quirrel grabbed his arm to stop him from walking away. “Look, can you at least stop the pacing? I know you don’t like tight spaces, but maybe if you think about something else, you’ll calm down?”

At this, Tiso did stop walking. He thought for a moment. “...what should I think about?”

Quirrel shrugged. “How am I supposed to know? Whatever pops into your head, I suppose.”

Frowning, Tiso continued thinking for a moment before replying. “I’m  _ starving _ , but there’s nothing to eat and I’m going insane.”

Well, it was better than pacing. Honestly, Quirrel didn’t even realize that he hadn’t eaten anything all day until Tiso said something about it. “Really? What about the plants? They look tasty-"

Scoffing, the Fool said, “A warrior doesn’t eat  _ plants. _ ” Then he quietly added, “They’re fake anyway.” He tugged on one of the plants, showing a very clear bite taken out.

Well, there went Quirrel’s plans for dinner. “...oh. I see.”

Nonchalantly, Tiso said, “So I’m going to eat Myla.”

“I see - Wait, what?!” Quirrel didn’t expect that in the slightest and immediately stepped in front of the little miner bug. “No, you are not!”

“This is survival of the fittest now! I highly doubt the giant keeping us in a box is gonna drop something to eat in here!” Tiso shouted. “And let’s face it, Myla isn’t gonna cut it. So step out of the way so I can get a decent meal.”

“CLOTH WAKE UP!” Quirrel screamed, grabbing Myla to keep her out of Tiso’s reach. “TISO’S LOST HIS MIND!”

Poking her head out of the dirt, Cloth yawned. “What’s going on now? I was trying to sleep…”

“Tiso’s trying to eat Myla!” Quirrel shouted. He climbed to the to of a rock, holding Myla close.

Myla squirmed anxiously. “Don’t eat me! I’m your friend!”

Tiso climbed up after them until Cloth grabbed his leg to stop him. “YOU’RE NEXT, QUIRREL!”

“No, he’s not.” Cloth pulled Tiso away, holding his shoulders to keep him in place. “No one is eating anyone.”

“SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!” Tiso shrieked, squirming in the cicada’s strong grip.

Cloth snickered. “Oh Tiso, you are definitely not the fittest. Interrupting my nap for all this nonsense, for shame on you.”

The cage shook, and everyone froze.

The giant was coming.

Entering the kitchen, the giant gave them a quick glare. “What are they doing?” Myla whispered, stepping closer to the glass. “What are they doing?”

Quirrel squinted, trying to see. “...I think they started a pot of water? And they’re cooking something.”

“They’re hungry.  _ I can relate. _ ” Tiso hissed.

Cloth shivered. “Oh, I knew they were gonna eat us, I told you Quirrel!”

The pill bug’s heart sank. Oh wyrm, the giant  _ was  _ going to eat them! He was a fool for thinking anything different…

* * *

“Oh man, what’s for dinner Tess?” She asked herself. “Oh, it’s Ramen for the third day in a row. Yaaaaaaay.”

After starting the water for her two-dollar noodles, she turned to the bugs on the counter. Glaring at them, she swore she saw them cower in fear. “You guys are jerks but you guys should get dinner too.”

Tess searched through her stuff to find what they would need. “Cicada….ant...beetle...pill bug. Here we go-”

Sugar water, some fruits and veggies, and a jar of mealworms. “Alright jerkwads, soup’s on.” She hummed in thought, taking an extra close look at the ant. “Mealworms might be a bit big for you...I should cut it in half. Oh, and can’t forget the dusting of calcium powder~”

As she got everything ready, she looked outside to see it starting to rain. "Aw shit, my pitfall traps are gonna be full of water. I'm gonna have to check those after I feed you guys. Not like bugs have little raincoats!" Tess chuckled at the idea of a little ant wearing a bright yellow raincoat and three pairs of boots.

* * *

“What is it  _ doing?”  _ Cloth asked, hesitantly setting Tiso down. “Behave yourself.”

“Probably garnishings.” Tiso hissed. “See, Quirrel? It’s not a scholar, it’s a monster that’s going to eat us.”

The giant stepped forward, opening the lid. The bugs watched, confused, as the giant took a green vegetable and dipped it into a white powder. Then, the vegetable was placed in front of Myla, despite being as big as her.

“Oh! The giant gave me a gift!” She squealed, delighted.

“I wouldn’t trust it.” Cloth said. “Did you see that white powder? Probably poison. No doubt about it.”

Quirrel nodded. “I...have to agree. Clearly powdered poison.” The giant set a piece of fruit in front of him, and he immediately stepped back.  _ Even though it smelled very sweet… _

Cloth was given a large dish full of a similarly sweet-smelling liquid that she immediately tipped the container over. Tiso didn’t receive anything and was very upset with it. “Why did you three weaklings get stuff, and I didn’t?”

The giant dropped something in front of Tiso. Something small and  _ wiggling _ . It looked like a tan grub, except it was cut in half and squirming with its dying breath. The fool gladly picked it up as the others gagged. “Nevermind! No complaints on my end!”

“You’re not going to eat that, right?! It’s probably poisoned!” Quirrel asked, shuddering from disgust.

Tiso pouted, torn between finally getting a bite to eat versus the possibility of getting poisoned. Finally, after many disapproving looks from the others, he tossed the little worm away. “Fine! Fine. I’ll just starve, I suppose!”

Cloth pat his back reassuringly. “There, there. I'm sure you'll be fine."

“I’ll just eat Myla.”

* * *

Hornet didn’t know how she managed to doze off. Perhaps her nasty habit of not sleeping for days and weeks on end finally caught up to her.

What she did know is that Hornet woke up to the sound of footprints.  _ Giant _ footprints.

The siblings barely had the time to prepare before the trap they were in was lifted into the air.

The lid opened to reveal their captor, and Hornet felt fear tingle through her veins. She knew a giant had taken her friends and destroyed Dirtmouth...but nothing could prepare her for how  _ giant  _ the giant truly was.

The giant reached a hand in the cup, reaching for Ghost. The little vessel, scared and confused, accidentally grabbed their dream nail instead of their pure nail to defend themselves.

Understandably, the only thing the dream nail managed to accomplish was shooting bright, orange light everywhere.

The giant frowned, moving their hand back.  **"Someone's glowy. Maybe a Firefly..."** The giant rumbled, voice booming above them.

Hornet didn't expect the giant to know their language.

**"Let's take you three home and out of the rain. Give you dinner."** The giant said, shutting the lid. They could hear the giant mumbling something about raincoats.

Hornet was stunned into complete silence. In an attempt to find the giant, they ended up being captured as well.

"I really hope this is the same giant…" Was all she could manage to say. "... and that they don't eat us, of course."


	5. Reunited Under Less Than Favourable Circumstances

"Do...do you think that they're going to come look for us?" Myla asked, voice barely above a whisper. The question was vague, but Quirrel could detect the underlying questions she had. Where were her friends from Dirtmouth? Were they worried? Did they care?

Quirrel sighed, trying to dissuade her fears with a pat on the head. “I’m sure they’ll come find us. But I have...no idea where we are, and it’s only been a day. I bet they’re looking for us right now!”

Cloth and Tiso said nothing; once again the cicada warrior had fallen asleep (and once again, Quirrel was incredibly jealous) and the fool paced. Quirrel knew better than to bother Tiso, last time he tried, he almost got his head bitten off. Literally and metaphorically.

When the ground began to shake, they knew the giant was returning. It had stepped out earlier, carrying a pack and taking an umbrella. Quirrel found the umbrella odd. Did giants not reach the height of clouds? Did they have to worry about such small, trivial things like raindrops? He tried not to study his prison warden.

When the giant returned, they set a large tin can on the counter - what was it used to hold? - and looked at them.

The giant frowned.  **“Not a fan of the fruits and veggies?”** It asked, voice booming.

The bugs were stunned. Since when could the giant  _ talk?! _

**“Or maybe you didn’t like the calcium powder? Some of my millipedes hated the stuff.”** The giant trailed off, reaching into boxes and gathering more glass boxes.

"Am...am I losing my mind?" Tiso asked, glancing back to Quirrel and Myla for confirmation. "I thought the giant couldn't talk?"

Slowly, Quirrel shrugged. "I-I suppose it can now? And I suppose that white powder wasn't poison...but calcium powder-"

Myla said quietly, almost instinctively, like she had this information since birth, "Calcium is a type of metal. Calcium carbonate is a substance found in rocks and minerals and helps bone and shell growth. Lack of calcium is very bad for you."

"So it wasn't poisoned…" Quirrel muttered, slowly connecting the dots. "The giant was trying to actually give us something to eat."

The gears turned a little slower for Tiso, but eventually, they clicked. "Oh! So that grub wasn’t poisoned!...I’m gonna go find it-”

Quirrel turned back to the giant, watching in fascination as it began to set up another prison, similar to their own. Did it find more bugs to capture?

Tiso and Myla woke up Cloth, bringing her up to speed on the situation right as the giant finished. However, they noticed the bugs gathering against the glass and smiled at them.  **“Curious, are you? Well, your enclosure is a bit big. So you guys will have neighbors! Hopefully they won’t get into loud arguments about their marriage at three am.”**

Cloth nudged Quirrel to get his attention. “So...if we understand them, will they understand us?”

Before he could answer, the giant moved the tin can in front of them. Grabbing the ever-important tweezers, they opened the tin can.  **“Hello there, little friends! Come on out so I can see you!”**

The bug the giant pulled out was small, with a white mask and little horns. Their body was pure black, and the little bug looked very, very familiar…And all four shouted:

_ “GHOST?!” _

* * *

Little Ghost dangled from whatever instrument the giant was using to keep them in the air. They couldn’t reach the nail strapped to their back due to how awkwardly they were being held.

Despite the awkwardness of being held this way - and the fact they were being held by a giant - they weren’t being harmed. The grip was gentle and the giant’s words were soft. A stark contrast to how they were usually treated by large monsters.

With their other hand, the giant grabbed a silver box and spoke into it.  **“The littlest one looks to be half an inch. Unsure what species it is. The horns appear to be part of the beetle family.”**

Ghost tilted their head. They weren’t a beetle, they were Ghost. What was this giant doing?

The giant smiled at them.  **“I do know that this little guy is as cute as a button!”**

Cute? _ Cute?!  _ Ghost angrily squirmed, trying in vain to reach their nail to show how ‘cute’ they could be.

**“Whoa, whoa. Alright there, let’s put you in the enclosure. Hope you don’t mind neighbors.”**

As Ghost was lowered into a glass box, they noticed another glass box sitting nearby. And inside were their friends! Quirrel, Cloth, Tiso, Myla, they were all there and safe. Little Ghost ran to the closest wall, hopping around excitedly.

Their friends were equally as excited to see them, all talking at once. Ghost couldn’t hear them clearly through two walls of the thick glass, but they were safe and Ghost had found them.

But glass couldn’t hold them back! They reached for their nail, preparing for a great slash to slash their way to freedom. Little Ghost struck the glass as hard as they could, only to get bounced back.

Ghost paused, stumped. Glass never acted like  _ that _ before. Their friends seem confused as well, but cheered the vessel on regardless.

Taking a step back, Ghost prepared a crystal dash. Nothing could withstand a crystal dash at full power. But instead of smashing through the glass, they hit it with their face at full speed, then slowly slid back down.

Embarrassed and with their ego wounded, Ghost simply laid limp at the bottom of the glass tank.

* * *

**“Who’s next?”** The giant asked, looking enthusiastically inside the tin. 

Hollow instinctively stood in front of Hornet, a silent protector. While Hollow went on the defensive, Hornet went offensive. 

With a loud cry, she threw her needle as far as she could. The giant raised their arms instinctively, the needle sinking into the flesh. Granted, it was absolutely tiny compared to them, and the giant seemed more annoyed than anything.

**“You bugs have been so aggressive! Jeez, first the ant, then you-”** The giant rambled off, grabbing her needle between two fingers.

Hornet tugged on the silk to get her needle back, but the giant’s grip was firm. When the giant pulled the needle out and moved it closer to their face to see, she found herself being dragged out of the tin, not willing to let go of the silk.

**“Whoa, hey! Be careful!”** Immediately the giant held their hand under Hornet so she wouldn’t plummet to her death.  **“Huh...silk. Must be a jumping spider of some kind.”**

Hesitantly, Hornet stepped onto the giant’s hand. It was very warm and it wasn’t chitin, more like grub skin. It was better than falling to her death. She tugged on the silk, still unwilling to lose her needle like this.  **“Oh? Uh, here. Have this back, I guess.”**

The giant was quiet, they had seemingly lost their nerve.  **“...you guys are crazy smart.”**

“Can...can you understand us?” Hornet asked. For a giant monster, they were being rather un-monsterly. 

But the giant didn’t hear her and started setting up a glass cage.  **“I can’t keep you with the other bugs, girlie. I’m assuming you’re a girl.”**

The glass cage was a modified jar - but giant-sized - with some dirt and moss. It was placed in between two other glass containers, one holding Ghost, the other holding the four bugs that were taken earlier. At least they weren’t dead, but Hornet wouldn’t have been heartbroken if something happened to Tiso or Quirrel.

The giant held their hand over the jar and tilted, trying to get Hornet to slide off and into the jar. But she wasn’t about to allow herself to be imprisoned so easily, refusing to move. The giant huffed.  **“Fine, fine. I’ll get the tweezers.”**

Hornet didn’t like how that sounded at  _ all _ . She tried to hop off of the giant’s hand, but the fingers curled around her to keep her mostly still - but not in a way that harmed her. At least the giant was careful about that.

The back of her cloak was grabbed by a large pair of tweezers, and she was lowered inside the jar. Hornet kicked and squirmed the entire time, shouting, “No! No, listen to me! We’re not normal bugs!”

But the giant didn’t hear, and Hornet was imprisoned.

Hornet, like Ghost, was so sure her nail could easily break the glass imprisoning her. But she too failed to leave even a dent.

The captured bugs clamored for her attention, muffled by glass and incomprehensible. “Calm down, all of you! We’ll be OK! Is everyone alright? No injuries?” 

The others paused, then started talking again, more confused. It seems as they couldn’t hear her either.

**“Last one! And they’re a big one!”**

Hornet’s heart sank.  _ Hollow. _

Spinning around, she saw the giant reach in to grab their eldest sibling. “You leave them alone!” Hornet shouted, striking the glass with her needle.

Holding Hollow by the back of their cloak with the tweezers, the giant looked them over. The vessel remained perfectly still, tracking the giant like a predator would track prey.

The giant looked concerned.  **“You poor, poor thing! You look half dead!”** Tut-tutting to no one in particular, the giant took great care in looking Hollow over.  **“Cracks in your carapace, missing an arm, and you’re not moving an inch!”**

**“Poor baby...I’ll keep an extra close eye on you.”** They said, starting to lower Hollow into the glass container with Ghost. The large vessel took one look at the glass box and started  _ shrieking.  _ Well, somewhat. A shriek that sent shivers down your spine, but was absolutely silent.

The giant winced, dropping Hollow inside the box and quickly closed the lid.

With all bugs safely inside the containers, the giant stomped off, rubbing their ears.

* * *

“Well, some rescue party.” Tiso hissed. “They’re captured and no one can hear each other!”

Cloth smacked the back of his head. “We can hear  _ you  _ just fine.”

The lumafly lanterns slowly went out above them, leaving them in partial darkness. The giant had gone to bed, and turned off their main source of light.

Thanks to Myla and little Ghost’s lantern, they weren’t completely in the dark.

“How are we gonna get out now?” Myla whimpered, hugging Quirrel’s leg. “It’s dark, and our rescues got captured, and they can’t hear us!”

Quirrel looked at the enclosures next to them, noticing something rather important. “Ghost and their sibling’s prison doesn’t have a weight on top. They could open it, if we told them how.”


	6. Cat Scratch Fever

“Ghost and their sibling’s prison doesn’t have a weight on top. They could open it, if we told them how.”

Tiso scoffed. "OK scholar, how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Knocking on the glass, he added, "This glass is too thick for any of us to understand a word."

Quirrel, having reached his limit of the fool's attitude, snapped, "Well genius, what's _ your _ idea then?!"

Stuttered and stammering, Tiso was caught off guard. Eventually, he fell silent.

“I suspected as much.” Quirrel turned to Cloth and Myla. “How are you two at charades?”

Myla nodded, bouncing excitedly. “I’m very good at shadow puppets!”

"What's the plan, Quirrel? To use charades and shadow puppets to tell the little warriors over there how to bust out?" Cloth asked, sounding a little skeptical. 

"Erm, maybe not the shadow puppets." He said. "But the little one uses gestures to communicate, it shouldn't be too difficult. And it's currently the only idea I can think of."

Cloth nodded. “Well, you’ve made good plans so far, and none of us can think of any. Let’s give it a shot.”

* * *

It was taking Hornet a lot of effort not to start panicking. Trapped in a giant jar - which was rather humiliating - that refused to break, no matter how hard she struck it with her needle.

Her siblings were equally as trapped but in a nicer and larger containment. She would have been envious if not for the severity of the situation. Ghost was rapidly striking the glass with their nail and Hollow was trying to look for any cracks they could take advantage of.

And the bugs they were supposed to rescue were trapped as well. This entire situation seemed completely hopeless.

Hornet paused, having to do a double-take at the bugs they were supposed to rescue. They were talking again - not like she could hear them properly - and gesturing about... something.

What  _ were _ they going on about? She squinted, trying to make sense of it all. They were pointing to the top of their prison, then pointing to the prison that held her siblings. Hornet didn't understand. What was the connection? Their prisons were similar, sure, but what was so important about the top?

Loudly knocking against the glass of her own container to get Ghost's attention, Hornet pointed to the bugs. "Can you understand them?" She asked, then mentally kicked herself as she realized Ghost wouldn't be able to understand her either.

Damn this glass.

Ghost watched the bugs for a moment, tilting their head in thought. Hollow joined them, and the two silently watched.

Hornet saw Quirrel become more frustrated, pacing back and forth. He tried again; pointing to Ghost, pointing to the top of the prison. 

Taking a closer look, she saw the giant had placed a large boulder on top of the bug's prison. Most likely to keep them inside. Turning to Ghost and Hollow's prison, she saw no such boulder.

Hornet connected the dots. "Ghost! Hollow! You need to check the top of your prison!" She shouted, hoping they would hear her.

Ghost and Hollow did hear her, turning in her direction, but they couldn't hear her very well. All they could hear was that she was talking, not what she was saying.

Hollow was the first to figure it out. They moved their head, thoughtfully, to look at the roof of their cage. Cautiously, they approached what looked to be a trap door in the middle, using a nearby rock to reach it and popped it open.

They were free.

The bugs cheered, and Hornet couldn't stop herself from celebrating with a little dance and a loud, triumphant "YES!! Yes yes yes!!"

The large vessel easily climbed out, Ghost following behind with their monarch wings.

"Good!! Now get us out!" Hornet yelled, not caring if they heard or not. They were finally escaping from what looked like a hopeless situation and it was exhilarating.

Hollow stepped up to her prison, doing their best to try and open the giant jar like any other jar at home. Finding that trying to open it was proving unsuccessful, Hollow let their little sibling try.

Hornet braced herself as Ghost used a desolate dive to smash through, crashing into her. Normally, she'd be absolutely furious. But these were not normal circumstances and she gave her little sibling a crushing hug, nuzzling her mask against theirs. "C'mon, let's get the others!"

The three pale children scaled to the top of the other prison, pushing against the boulder keeping the bugs trapped inside. They winced as the boulder fell onto the floor nearby. Hornet's blood ran cold and all the bugs fell deathly quiet as they listened for the steps of a giant.

Not hearing anything, they continued their escape plan, opening the trapdoor of the other prison as well. "Let's go, let's go-" Hornet helped them out of their cage, needing Hollow to help her lift Cloth out.

As soon as she stepped down, she was tackled by Quirrel in a nearly back-breaking hug. She didn't think the pill bug had the strength in him for a hug like that. "I've never been so happy to see you!" Quirrel chirped, ignoring her angry squirms.

Quirrel let go, turning to Ghost to hug them next. Hollow was already stepping away to avoid any unwanted touching. 

Cloth and Myla were more than grateful, the latter calling Hornet her hero and making the spider blush. To Hornet, that little victory was worth all the trouble. Tiso was appreciative in his own way, a huffy and pouty thank you at 'the pale thing'. To Hornet, he said, "I suppose I owe you a date then, hm?"

She shook her head, picking up Myla. "Never going to happen. Now, we need to find a way out. The faster the better."

Cloth nodded as she gave Ghost a rough pat on the head. "Right, well, we don't know an exit. Earlier we tried to escape by heading to the cliff’s edge over there, but we were caught before we could get too far."

Hornet nodded. "This giant seems...civilized. I wouldn't be surprised if we're in a giant house of some kind."

"I personally believe this giant is a type of scholar! Like me!" Quirrel said, earning groans from Cloth and Tiso. "Hear me out, hear me out! I know I sound like a broken record but all of it adds up! They haven't harmed us, they've kept us in enclosures, and earlier they even tried to feed us. The giant looks at us and sees specimens to study."

Grimm’s words echoed in Hornet’s mind. The cruelest life forms the troupe had ever encountered? But no matter how gentle they could be, they were still a giant and very dangerous. “Well, we aren’t specimens, and we’re leaving.” Hornet said sternly.

Now that she was here, Hornet immediately took a leaderly role. “Follow me.” She said, leaving no room for arguments. She began leading them to the cliff edge, keeping an eye out for any possible escape or danger.

“Uhm, Miss Hornet?” Myla asked, squirming in the spider’s arm. “Can you put me down? And, uh, how far away from home are we?”

Setting the little miner bug down, Hornet answered truthfully. “I’m not sure how far from home we are. We may have a great distance to travel to get home.”

“This day just keeps getting better and better.” She heard Tiso grumble, but ignored him. Always a complainer, that one.

The journey was uneventful. They kept their voices hushed, despite it clear the giant being unable to hear them, it was more to keep themselves at ease. The only other interesting note was crossing a small lake ("I think this is a giant sink!" Quirrel half-whispered, half-shouted. "Amazing! Look at how small we are in comparison!"

Tiso glared at him. "It's still a lake we have to cross."

"Both of you, quiet." Hornet hissed. "We can walk along the edges." All of these perspective changes were giving her a headache.)

Out of nowhere, something was wrong. Like earlier, there was something in the air that sent shivers down their spines and kept them on edge. But this time, the warning signs were much less subtle; their instincts screaming that there was danger somewhere and somehow.

Hollow froze in place, looking at the massive doorway in the distance. They saw  _ something _ out there, but what would lurk in a giant's den? 

"Hollow?" Hornet whispered, shaking their arm gently. "What is it?"

They said nothing, and she was used to that. But her elder sibling began to hyperventilate, shivering slightly. "Hey, it's OK. Relax, relax-"

"It's alright, big guy!" Cloth said, patting Hollow's back reassuringly. The others came to join her, to comfort the large vessel and to quell their own fears. "We've all got the shivers at the moment, it's probably leftover adrenaline!"

Hollow didn't seem convinced, reaching for their nail. 

Then Hornet saw it too. It was quick, silent, and well hidden. But she saw a glimpse, and it was all she needed. Immediately her body entered fight or flight mode, and she decided on flight. "We have to go.  _ Now."  _ She hissed, heart pounding in her head and her blood running cold. 

"What is it?" Quirrel asked, tugging on his bandana anxiously. 

"Stay quiet!" Hornet demanded, keeping her voice low. "And slowly, slowly follow me. No sudden moves."

Already on edge and frightened by Hornet's demands, the rest of the bugs meekly followed suit, slowly creeping along behind her.

As they were approaching the edge of the cliff, a  _ monster  _ leaped in front of them. Larger than any beast in Hallownest, covered in thick, coarse  _ orange  _ fur. Somehow the creature still managed to hide in the shadows, leering at them with huge green eyes. The orange coloration sent Hollow back into hyperventilating.

The bugs went still, hoping the beast didn't notice them. They were in no shape to fight; Ghost had hardly any soul left and everyone was running on fumes and fear. Despite their efforts, several shivered in terror, Myla whimpering and slowly stepping behind Cloth.

The monster glared at them, head tilting slightly as it considered the bugs. It opened it's maw to croak out an unearthly  _ 'Mrrawwww!' _

"I'm going to curl into a ball." Quirrel squeaked. He was pale and sweating, doing his best not to hide right then and there.

"Do  _ not _ do that." Hornet hissed, frantically thinking of a way to retreat. If they were fast enough, they might be able to use their former prison has a safe haven. Slowly, ever so slowly and carefully, she started retreating, keeping her eye on the monster. The others followed her lead.

"I-I'm going to hide I'm going to curl up and hide." Quirrel squeaked again, sounding more scared than before.

"Quirrel, don't you  _ dare!" _

"I'm gonna do it!"

The monster stepped closer, a low growl in its throat. The spider feared the sudden movement of Quirrel curling up would set it off. "Quirrel I swear to the Stars above I will  _ kill you _ if you hide!"

There was a moment of silence. The world felt still, if just for a second.

The monster then screeched, rapidly approaching the bugs with a murderous look in its eyes.

And Quirrel immediately tucked himself away into a ball.

"RUN BACK TO THE PRISON! IT'S THE ONLY OPTION!" Hornet shouted, grabbing Quirrel and sprinting back to where they came. "Dammit, Quirrel! I'm going to rip you apart if we survive this!"

The bugs followed suit; Cloth picking Tiso up to carry him as she ran and Hollow hastily snatching up Ghost and Myla as they blinked in and out of existence via teleportation.

The monster yowled, swiping at them as they ran. Hornet swore she felt the claws of the beast barely miss her cloak.

If they could just make it to the cage, they could be (hopefully) safe from the monster chasing them.

Ghost crawled to the top of Hollow's horns and focused, using the very last scraps of soul they had to fire a weak burst of magic at the monster.

The beast was stunned, pawing at where the magic had it. It was just enough time for the bugs to reach their former prison and quickly scramble inside, closing the trapdoor behind them.

A tense silence fell over the bugs as they paused to catch their breath. The monster stomped over to the cage, puzzled. It pawed at the container, trying to figure out how to get inside.

"Are we safe yet?" Quirrel asked, voice muffled. 

Hornet said nothing, but kicked the pill bug away in anger.

The monster yowled again, continuing to smack the prison around. Asides from being shaken around, the bugs were fine.

Until the monster pushed them off the cliff.

The bugs screamed as they plummeted to the harsh ground, their once safe prison shattering upon impact. 

Shaken and bruised, Hornet crawled out the rubble to make sure everyone was alright. It hurt to breathe too deeply, the sign of a bruised lung, and it felt like she had twisted her ankle. "Everyone alive? Everyone OK?" She asked, taking care to avoid the large pieces of glass. The others were similarly injured; Tiso with a sprained ankle, Myla with minor cracks on her shell, Ghost and Hollow leaking void. Minor wounds at best. 

Before they could do anything else, the monster leaped from the cliff, creating a minor earthquake. Immediately the bugs hid in the dirt and rubble of their shattered prison, hoping for some kind of cover.

As the beast plodded closer, sniffing for them, they froze, looking off into the distance. Then, as quickly as they appeared, they were gone.

The bugs were safe; bruised and exhausted, adrenaline fading. Yes, they were safe...for now, at least.

* * *

Tess sat on her bed, headphones on full volume as she played her game. “C’mon, c’mon, fly you beautiful dragon, fly!” She shouted at the video game character she was controlling. “No! No! Get the gem you stupid purple dragon! I’m sorry, you’re not stupid.”

She paused her game, realizing she was missing something very important. “...Pancake? Panny, Panny, Pancake?” She called out, patting the bed around her. “Where is she?” There was no way she was going to sleep without her cat by her side.

Begrudgingly getting out of her comfy, comfy bed, Tess peeked her head out the doorway. “Panny Panny Pancake! Where is my baby girl??”

Running down the hallway, Pancake ‘mrrped’ at her happily. Pancake was a bright orange tabby with green eyes and a stumpy tail. Tess  _ adored _ her.

“Here comes a special girl!” Tess cooed, voice going higher in pitch as she picked the tabby up. “Oh, my special girl! Oh, my little Pancake!”

Setting Pancake on the bed, she said, “You gotta stay in my room tomorrow, girlie. Harold is coming over, and he hates cats.”

Pancake mewled, headbutting Tess’ hand in demand for more petting. “I know, I know! He’s a bastard! But we gotta put up with him because being an adult is dealing with shit you don’t wanna do!” She said, baby-talking to her cat.

“Now I’ll play a couple more levels of this game, and we’ll go to bed. Big day tomorrow!”


	7. Houston, We Have Contact

Hornet woke up in the remnants of their shattered prison, hidden away in a little nook created by some of the remaining glass and dirt; a little hidey-hole, so to speak.

She was surrounded by the other bugs, huddled together for safety and comfort. To her right, Hollow, Cloth and Myla. Myla nestled in the crook of Hollow's arm, Hollow leaning against Hornet. To her right, Quirrel and Tiso. Quirrel also leaning on her and snoring. And in her lap was little Ghost, snuggling against her and trying to get some of her warmth.

And she hated it. She hated the feeling of being so vulnerable, she hated the idea of her falling asleep in such a strange and dangerous place,  _ and she hated how close everyone was to her. _

She came to the conclusion that they all crashed from adrenaline and their injuries, falling asleep because of it. And after the encounter with that  _ monster _ , it made perfect sense. Running on no sleep and no food, their crash was inevitable. This was fine - not much else you can do when your body quits like that - but why did everyone gravitate to  _ her _ as they slept?!

Hornet shoved Quirrel off of her and began to shake her elder sibling awake. "Alright, we've rested, we need to move before the giant or that beast returns!"

"W-Where are we?" Myla asked, mind foggy with sleep. Then, she said quietly, "Oh wait I remember now."

Hornet stood up, Ghost falling to the floor. “Let’s go, come on now, I want to leave as soon as we can!” Stepping on her hurt foot made her wince, but she remained strong. She had to be, for the others were injured as well and would no doubt need help.

Little Ghost squirmed next to Quirrel, nuzzling against his side. The pill bug, still asleep, muttered, “Madam, five more minutes...then I’ll...organize more samples…”

Growling with irritation, Hornet used the end of her needle to whack him on the head. “No! Get up, now!”

He woke with a loud yelp, rubbing the spot where she hit him. “Was that _ really _ necessary?”

“Not totally,” Hornet replied with the smallest hint of a smirk. “But I certainly feel better now. Now get up and let’s go!”

Grumbling to themselves and still half asleep, they began to prepare to leave the relative safety of their hidey-hole.

But when the ground started to shake, and they quickly woke up. “Change of plans. Don’t move a muscle.” Hornet hissed, even as the shaking grew more and more intense.

* * *

Tess yawned as she shuffled into the kitchen, making a mental list of what she needed to do before Harold showed up. He made such idiotic demands in the email; “Take that fleabag and keep her in your room”, “You better have something nice for me to drink otherwise I’m not staying”, and “If you waste my time I’ll make you regret it.”

God, what a prick. But he was the only other entomologist in the area, and Tess wanted to know she wasn’t going crazy.

Ah, she should check and feed her little bug friends.

Entering the kitchen, she felt her heart skip a beat. One of the enclosures she had set up had fallen on the floor, the top completely shattered. The bottom was still in one piece, the dirt spilling out.

“Oh no! Oh no, no no!!” She whispered, horrified. She stepped over the larger bits of broken plastic, thanking every god she could think of that she was wearing slippers to avoid stepping on the smaller bits.

“Oh, oh no, are you guys OK? Which ones are you-” Tess glanced at the other enclosures to see them empty as well. Just perfect. Harold on his way, some bugs were missing, and the others were probably dead.

Still whispering ‘Oh No’s, she gently dug through the dirt, hoping to find a bug. She was ecstatic to find the little pill bug, curled into a ball. Breathing a huge sigh of relief, she cooed, “Oh thank god. You’re OK! I was so worried about you! You must have been so scared!”

The pill bug wiggled and uncurled slightly, showing it’s little white face. “Oh, there you are! You’re alright! I was so worried.” Tess really felt like she was about to cry after such a rollercoaster of emotions. 

Slowly, the pill bug continued to uncurl in her hand, still looking at her. “I’m not sure what knocked over your enclosure! It wasn’t you, right?” She joked, trying to settle her nerves.

The pill bug shook their head no.

Wait.

_ The pill bug shook their head no. _

Tess blinked, moving the little bug closer. “...did...did you just...did you understand me?”

After a moment to think, the pill bug nodded yes. 

“...alright,” Tess said. “I’m dreaming then. Hold on-” She used her free hand to pinch herself, wincing. “Not dreaming, not dreaming. You...actually understand me!”

She was starting to get very, very excited. “You can understand me! And you can...answer yes or no questions?!”

The pill bug nodded again, before looking down at the destroyed enclosure. 

“Oh! Oh my gosh, you’re right, I need to look for the other ones-” She hesitated, then lowered her hand to the ground. "Please don't run off-"

Instead of running off, the pill bug stepped off her hand and skittered over to the pile of dirt. Tess watched, amazed, as the bug dug through the dirt, pulling out another bug. It was the ant from before, limping slightly.

The ant was presented to her by the pill bug. “Can...can you understand me too?” Tess asked, feeling a little silly. The ant and the pill bug seemed to talk for a moment, then the ant nodded as well. “You look hurt...are you hurt?”

Hesitation, then another nod. “Oh, oh, here, let me help!” Tess offered, lowering her hand down for them to step up. “Please? It’s the least I can do…”

The pill bug practically shoved the ant onto her hand. “Let me find you a place to rest…” Moving to the counter, she pulled a tissue from an opened tissue box, scrunching it up for the ant to sit on. “Here, stay here while I check the others, please.” 

Tess turned back to the broken enclosure, finding the pill bug digging out more of the bugs, including ones she had put in the other enclosures. Had they broken out of their own enclosures, only to enter the other one? Maybe they didn’t want to be separated, which only made her feel guilty.

The two smaller bugs stood nearby as the pill bug struggled to drag the spider out. She was fighting with all her strength not to leave the dirt pile, but she too seemed unsteady on her feet, most likely injured as well.

“Hey, it’s OK! Don’t hurt yourself!” Tess pleaded. “Let me help you!”

The spider froze, and Tess thought about the situation from their perspective. What would she do if she was taken by a giant alien? Well, she’d probably cry. But she’d fight back; she’d bite and kick and try to escape…

Oh no. Here come the waterworks.

“You must think I’m a monster!” Tess sniffled. “And I’m so sorry! But I’d never hurt you guys, ever! I’m so, so sorry!”

The bugs stared at her, looking surprised. The spider and the pill bug seemed to argue before the spider limped over and crawled onto her hand.

* * *

“I cannot  _ believe _ we were afraid of them,” Tiso grumbled. “They’re the definition of a Gentle Giant.”

The giant, still somewhat crying, gently lifted the bugs to the counter onto soft blankets to look over their wounds. 

Quirrel was  _ unbearably _ smug about the whole situation. “I told you she was a scholar!” He said, “And look! She’s going to help us!”

**“Alright, is that all of you?”** The giant asked, looking them over.  **“Everyone OK?”**

They nodded, still too small for her to hear them properly. But answering yes or no questions was better than nothing.

**"Right! Right, OK."** The giant ran their fingers through the fur on their head and took a deep breath.  **"Right! Introductions! My name is Tess, rhymes with stress! Because that's what I am right now! And I use she/her pronouns!"** She leaned closer to them.  **I study insects and arthropods; how they live and interact with the environment. But you guys are the smartest bugs I've ever seen! You must be like, hyper-intelligent!"**

Hornet frowned. She was still highly suspicious of the giant, no matter how good the intentions may be. But it sounds like she and other giants like her haven't found other kingdoms before. A good sign to be sure.

**"Do...do you guys have names? A language? I'm sorry, I just have so many questions! Here, hold that thought!"**

“Quirrel, you should’ve told us you had a  _ big  _ sister!” Cloth joked as the giant stomped away, rummaging through boxes.

“Haha, very funny.” Quirrel replied, completely deadpan.

Tess the Giant returned with a piece of parchment and an unidentified object.  **“This is paper! We use it to write! And the smallest thing I have to write with is this broken red crayon...it’s still a little big.”** Glancing over the bugs, she hummed in thought.  **“I think the cicada or the really tall one might be able to use it.”**

Cloth nudged Hollow. “I think that’s us, big fella!”

Hollow was silent, but stood up straighter and held out their good arm. Tess smiled and handed them the crayon.  **"Here you go!"**

The large vessel bowed their head, taking the large, brightly colored writing implement as one would accept a sword. Tess smoothed out the paper on the counter, gesturing to it.  **"Write something! Names, where you come from, whatever you want to tell me."**

"Hollow? Try writing your name." Hornet said.

They stepped forward, taking a moment to get the crayon to work; it was half their size, awkwardly shaped, and they only had one arm. But they managed to neatly write 'Hollow' in big letters for Tess the Giant to read.

The giant beamed as she looked over the paper.  **"This is so amazing! Incredible! Wow!"** She said, and Hollow looked like they would burst with pride.  **"It's beautiful...but I can't read a thing."**

Well, that was a bust.

Tess the Giant held her hand out, and Hollow gave her back the crayon.  **"Let me try this real quick-"** She used the crayon to scratch out some lines.  **"That's my name. T-E-S-S. Tess."**

Hornet and Quirrel stepped over to look at the giant's writings. It looked like a bunch of scribbled lines compared to the elegant script of Hallownest. And they couldn’t understand it one bit. Looks like written communication was out of the equation.

Quirrel looked at the giant and shrugged. Tess the Giant seemed very disappointed, then her eyes lit up. Reaching over, she grabbed the silver box and set it down in front of them.  **“This is my personal recorder.”** She said.  **“I’m not sure if you guys have these where you’re from.”**

The bugs cautiously approached the silver box, as if it would spring up and attack them. Realizing that the strange contraption wasn’t about to murder them, they turned to the giant, confused.  **“If I press this button, it’ll record whatever if hears and it can play it back. Maybe if you guys talk into it, I can play it back!”**

“Giants are smart!” Myla chirped. “Do you think if I sing into it, it’ll play it back?”

Quirrel chuckled. “Let’s begin with our names. Who wants to go first?”

“Well, Quirrel, you’re the one who managed to make first contact.” Cloth said. “And Hornet kind of became the leader, so why not both of you two?”

Hornet growled quietly. She didn’t like the idea of getting so friendly with the giant, but what else could they do? “...fine.”

**“I’m pressing the button! Speak into this part and be loud and clear!”**

Quirrel stepped closer. “Well, hello! My name is Quirrel! I’m a scholar, like you!”

Hornet shoved him out of the way. “I am Hornet, protector of these bugs.” 

Once she was sure they were done, Tess the Giant stopped recording.  **“Moment of truth-”** She held the recorder to her ear, pressing the button to play it back.

Her eyes lit up, pointing to them. “ **Your name is Quirrel! And you’re Hornet! It worked! Communication has been made! I want to know the rest of your names!”**

Tess the Giant waited patiently to learn their names, growing more and more cheerful with each name.

But they hit a snag with Hollow and Ghost. The vessels stood there, staring at the recorder.  **“Oh, are you two shy?”** Tess cooed. Hornet intervened. “Listen, Giant, they cannot speak. They are my siblings. The little one is named Ghost, the taller is Hollow.”

Confused, the giant listened to the explanation.  **“Alright, little strange, but certainly not the weirdest thing today. Today has been incredibly weird.”**

“She wasn’t the one shoved in a  _ box _ all night.” Tiso hissed.

Tess gave a nervous chuckle.  **“Well, I have some questions for you guys, if you don’t mind! Uhm, should I make coffee? D-Do you guys know what coffee is? If I made eggs, would you guys be upset? Oh geez, this is my interviews all over again- I’ll just make toast!”**

* * *

Tess took a sip of her coffee as she listened to the recordings again. They were a bit hard to hear, even with the volume on the recorder as loud as it could go. They sounded so squeaky and chirpy. 

“So you guys are from an old Kingdom, hidden underground, called Hallownest. But the king disappeared and a strange illness overtook the land? And only recently the infection was cured?” She asked them, making sure she had the major details correct. Their little lives were certainly interesting.

They nodded as they nibbled on their toast with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top. They  _ really _ liked toast, especially “Hollow” and “Ghost”.

Quirrel nodded, pointing to the recorder. She set it down and let him talk, then listened,  _ “Yes, currently we’re living in a small town called ‘Dirtmouth’. You uh, stepped through it.” _

“Oh my god.” Tess gasped, looking at them. “I am so sorry, did...did I hurt anyone?”

Hornet was next to reply,  _ “No. You caused major damage that can be fixed, but no one was injured, luckily.”  _

Tess could tell the little spider didn’t trust her, and she didn’t blame them. “Well, listen. I’ve taken you from your home and I’ve kept you here all night, and I’m deeply sorry. And I’m sorry about Pancake too. I want to help you in return. What if I took you guys back? I have all I need, and I promise I won’t tell anyone. If the rest of the scientific community were to find out, they’d never leave you guys alone.”

The bugs liked this suggestion, nodding and chirping in agreement. “Right then, I’ll take you back after breakfast, no jars this time, again I apologize, and I’ll make sure I won’t step on anything-”

The doorbell rang in rapid-fire succession, the person pressing the button rather aggressively. Then, they pounded on the front door. Tess’ blood ran cold.

She had forgotten about Harold.


	8. Harold - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoohoo! I had to split this chapter in two!  
> This chapter's like  
> [Harold being a jerk], [Hornet has a breakdown], [Harold being a jerk-

The doorbell rang incessantly, and Tess huffed. “I’m coming, I’m coming! Keep your pants on!”

From the outside of the door, Harold shouted,  _ "That disease-ridden fleabag better be locked up!" _

"She is, she is." Tess sighed, opening the door.

Harold was only a little taller than her and had black hair and glasses. He scowled. "It's cold out here, you sure took your time!"

"It's not that cold." She shot back. "It's barely 60 out here."

Smiling at her as one would smile at a ruly child, Harold said, "Aren't you going to invite me in? Don't be rude!"

Harold barged into her house, acting as if he owned the place. "God, Tess. Did you even try to clean up?"

She felt her face grow hot. "I just moved here! It's gonna be a little messy!"

"Yeah, sure Tess." Harold waved his hand, scoffing. Entering the kitchen, he frowned as he looked at the broken enclosure. "What happened here, butterfingers? And where are these bugs you emailed me about? You better not be wasting my time!"

Tess' lip quivered. "Pancake...knocked the container on the floor, and they escaped! They're all gone!" She wailed, covering her face to hide the tears.

Harold clicked his tongue. "Now what would you do without me! You're hopeless babe. Now let's find those icky wicky bugs. You shouldn't be touching them anyway, you'd ruin your nails."

"T-there's no need!" She said, tugging on his arm. "I already looked! Nowhere to be seen!"

Harold rolled his eyes and brushed her off. "Tess, you've lost the glasses while you were wearing them. You're a  _ klutz _ ! And you're lucky I'm helping you."

God, Tess wanted to  _ strangle  _ him. Instead of going to jail for assault, she plastered a fake smile on her face. “You’re just...the  _ nicest.” _

“What do these super-smart bugs look like, at least?” Harold asked, giving the room a half-hearted glance. “They’re a bunch of dumb bugs, how far could they have gone anyway?”

“I uh, forgot!”

“Well, why don’t I do your job for you, huh?!” He hissed. “C’mon, they were probably ants or pill bugs. There’s nothing interesting in this area anyway…”

* * *

“Wow!” Cloth whispered, peeking from the hiding spot the giant had shoved them in, “That guy’s an asshole!”

Earlier, Tess the Giant had stuttered about how she had some company and gently nudged them behind some boxes and knick-knacks. She quickly explained they needed to stay hidden or else something bad could happen.

Upon seeing this new giant, they understood why. This new Giant, Harold, didn’t appear nearly as kind and gentle as Tess.

**“I’m opening the back door.”** The new giant rumbled.  **“God knows why you keep it so warm in your house.”**

They watched the new giant open a huge door and left it open. “There! There’s our way out!” Hornet hissed. “That door should lead us to the outside!”

Quirrel shook his head. "Bad idea. We tried to sneak out earlier and got caught with just  _ one _ giant. But now there's more of us and more giants. We'll be spotted immediately!"

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take!” She hissed. “I don’t trust either of those giants and it’s my job to get you morons home! I have to protect you!”

Tiso frowned, and in a rare, quieter tone, asked, “Who gave you that job?”

“No one! But it’s my job! I have to protect you guys!” Hornet insisted. “I’m the protector of Hallownest and the bugs in it. Hallownest may be gone, but my role as protector remains.”

Ghost and Hollow shared a look as if this wasn’t the first time she’s had this conversation. Little Ghost tugged on her cloak, but she didn’t notice and continued, “I wasn’t doing my duty as a protector, and you were taken. This is my fault!”

“Whoa! Whoa!” Quirrel said, gesturing to lower her voice. “You’re being too loud and very incorrect. You don’t have to protect us, and this isn't your fault. This is no one’s fault.”

“Wait, if your ‘job’ was to protect Hallownest, and Hallownest is gone, then your job is done.” Cloth added. “You can do whatever you want now!” 

Hollow shook their head, trying to get them to drop the subject, but no one paid them any attention.

“You could join me in the mines!” Myla’s eyes sparkled at the prospect. “We could sing songs and have lots of fun!”

“Or join me in the colosseum, if you still crave combat!” Tiso threw in his two geo into the conversation as well. “But you’d never beat me!”

“NO! You don’t understand!” Hornet snarled. “This is all I’ve ever known! I don’t know who to  _ do _ or  _ be _ anything else!”

The others flinched at her raised tone, whispering and gesturing for her to keep quiet.

“I have to protect others! It’s who I am! And - and if I didn’t, I’d be  _ nothing _ !”

They froze as giant hands moved the boxes they were hiding behind. They had been found out.

* * *

“Tess, what the HELL are these things?!” Harold asked, pushing aside some of the smaller boxes. “Are….are these your  _ BUGS!?” _

Tess gave the bugs a horrified and apologetic look. The poor little things were frozen in place, staring at Harold.

“Oh! My God! Look...uh, you...found them!” She exclaimed in mock surprise. “Yep! There they are! Aren’t they precious? Uh, do be careful. One of them bites."

Harold stuttered, gesturing wildly to the group of bugs starting to inch away. “But WHAT are they?! Family, section, order, class, phylum, kingdom, SPECIES?!”

She pushed him out of the way, subtly gesturing for the bugs to come closer. If she could pick them up, maybe then she could put them somewhere safe-

Instead, they scattered. Harold gawked at them, running his fingers through his hair. “Tess, these are incredible! I’ve never seen these before! What are you going to do?” He frowned, reaching for her capture cups. “Well, first you gotta catch the little suckers-”

Before she could object, Harold placed cups over the bugs. Tess gave a sheepish shrug. “I-I was going to let them go?”

Harold laughed, but when she didn’t laugh along, the laughter faded. “You’re...you’re kidding! You were just going to let these undiscovered insects go? You’re joking!”

Tess’ face held no emotion and she shook her head ‘no’. “I’ve observed them, took notes, and I was going to let them go.”

He continued to stare. “You...you dope! You idiot! You have these amazing discoveries! You could be  _ famous!” _

“I don’t want to be famous!” Tess snapped. “I want to live in my house, look at cool bugs, and maybe show kids my cool bugs.”

Harold’s face darkened. “Can I speak to you. In the other room?”

Reluctantly she agreed, leading Harold into a nearby room to talk. But when she entered, the door slammed shut behind her and he blocked the door with moving boxes. "DID YOU TRAP ME IN A ROOM _ IN MY OWN HOUSE?!" _ Tess screamed, pushing against the door with all her might.

Harold rolled up his sleeves, returning to the bugs on the countertop. "You may be satisfied with squandering your future, but I am not." Rooting through some nearby boxes to find some empty enclosures, he swept the bugs inside before they could escape.

Harold blinked, watching the bugs riot inside their enclosure, striking at the thick plastic. They seemed almost  _ angry.  _ "If you won't show these to the world, I will! You won't mind, right?"

"YEAH, I WOULD MIND, ASSHOLE! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, THEY'RE NOT NORMAL BUGS!" Tess screamed back.

Scoffing and heading for the door with his prize, Harold replied, "Yeah, sure. They're magic or something. Fairies!"

Tess rammed the door with her shoulder, knocking the boxes over and allowing her to squeeze out the door just as Harold got into his car.

Harold tossed the enclosure in the back seat and started his car. "Good thing she doesn't know where  _ I  _ live." He muttered as he sped off.

These dumb bugs were going to be his ticket to success.


	9. Bugs In the Car (AKA Let's Get Mad)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Haha!" Mons, the Author, thought. "I'll split the Harold Chapters up so they won't be that long! I'm so clever!"  
> Several days later, this chapter is nearly 2k and we're still not quite done with Harold yet

The bugs of Hallownest were shaken, bruised, and scared. Their previous injuries had begun to flare back up thanks to how poorly this Harold giant had treated them.

But the bugs of Hallownest were something else, as well.

They were  _ angry. _

Well, except for Hornet, who was uncharacteristically melancholy. "This...this is my fault." She told them as soon as Harold the Giant stopped tossing them around. "If I hadn't gone to the Ancient Basin, you guys wouldn't be here. And if I hadn't been so loud, we wouldn't have been captured." Voice shaking, she said, "This is my fault. My fault. I've failed as a protector-"

"OH ENOUGH OF THAT!" Quirrel shouted, storming over to her. "Enough of your self-pity! You didn't fail anyone, and this isn't your fault!" He gripped her shoulders with an uncharacteristic rage. "Stop this right now. You don't have to protect us, and you're not a failure, or any of the other junk you're going on about!"

Hornet stuttered, taken aback by his anger. "B-But, my purpose-"

"I'LL GIVE YOU A PURPOSE THEN!" He shouted, inches away from her face. " _ Be Hornet!  _ Take care of yourself and your siblings and your friends! Do what  _ you _ feel is best!" 

The bugs fell silent. Quirrel finally released her shoulders. "And if I know Hornet, I know  _ exactly  _ what she wants to do. She wants to turn that giant who tossed us in here into little  _ pieces.  _ The Hornet I know would _ get. Mad." _

Hornet paused in thought, glancing in the general direction of Harold the Giant. After a moment, her face darkened. "You're absolutely right. I  _ do  _ want to get mad. I  _ am  _ mad!"

"That's the Hornet I know! I'm angry too!" He said, almost looking excited.

"Hey!" Tiso shouted. "I'm pretty angry too! You better believe I want in on whatever plan you're coming up with!"

"Me too!" Cloth added.

Myla said in a trembling voice, "I-I'm not mad, but I'm miffed! Miffed I say!"

Hornet turned to her siblings. "What about you two? Wanna be pure? Or wanna get  _ mad?" _

It was as if Ghost was waiting for that question, unsheathing their nail and swinging it wildly. Hollow pondered for a minute, then nodded. “We need to work on your spirit.” Hornet said. 

“So, how do you plan on getting us out of here?” Tiso asked, already roughly cleaning his shield with his elbow.

She turned to him, pulling out her needle. "I have no idea! But we can easily bust out of here, let's work from there."

They all eagerly climbed out, being occasionally jostled around by tiny earthquakes. "It feels...like we're on a stag!" Quirrel said after a particularly rough bump.

Tiso shuddered. "Eugh, Giant Stag." 

"Isn't that the giant right there?" Myla asked, pointing to the large form of Harold. He wasn't even that far, just over a small canyon, his back resting against a strange, soft mountain.

"Alright, headcount." Hornet turned to her friends - not that she'd call them that out loud, she had a reputation to uphold! - and asked, "How many of you have weapons?"

Only Tiso, Cloth, Hollow, Ghost, and herself had weapons. She was hoping Quirrel would have one, but they could manage. "Right. Here's what we're gonna do. We're going to scale that canyon and make this Harold Giant  _ rue the day  _ he messed with us."

* * *

"Hello, this is the non-emergency line, what is-"

The operator wasn't able to finish before Tess blurted out, "HI MY NAME IS TESS AND IM AN ENTOMOLOGIST AND I JUST MOVED HERE, AND ANOTHER ENTOMOLOGIST BLOCKED ME IN MY HOME AND STOLE MY BUGS!"

"...someone stole your bugs?"

"I KNOW THAT SOUNDS CRAZY! IT'S BEEN A REALLY WEIRD DAY." 

"M'am, I need you to calm down and stop shouting." The operator said, voice monotone. "You said another entomologist stole your insects? Can you find out where they live?"

Tess took a deep breath. "I think I can! Maybe you can tell uh, your officers on the road? He sped off down the road-"

A pause. "Give me a description of the car and the driver."

"Ah! Ah, OK thank you!!" As Tess went to her computer, she described Harold and his shitty grey Honda Civic. "I didn't get the license plate, but according to my emails, he lives uhhh, uhhh-" She squinted, reading the address again. It was an hour away! "It's on Johnson Drive, 4624."

"Alright, we'll look into it, ma’am."

There was a click on the other line, and Tess tossed the phone in her purse. She may not have a car to give chase, but she did have a bike. "Oh, I regret not working out on my legs." She sighed, pulling out her bike and pedaling in the direction of Harold's house.

"I'm coming guys! I'm coming!"

* * *

Scaling the canyon wasn't too difficult for the bugs with the help of Hornet's needle and silk. 

Harold Giant didn't even notice them slowly creeping closer. This weird stag had chairs, and Harold was sitting on one, but the large scale was a strange perspective shift. "Right. You three go low." Hornet whispered to Tiso, Cloth, and Hollow. "Those look like the giant's legs over there. Ghost? You and I are gonna climb this mountain and aim high."

Ghost nodded, pulling out their mantis claw and beginning to climb. "Wait wait, you just want us to start attacking?" Tiso whispered back, tugging on Hornet's cloak. "I'm not normally a stickler for battle plans, but this is definitely not a normal battle here."

She nodded. "I see what you mean. His legs seem to be in a strange...cavity. In the stag. It doesn't appear that Harold Giant would be able to reach you there. Head down there and cause some  _ pain _ ."

"And...us?" Quirrel asked, gesturing to Myla. 

Hornet was about to say something, but there was a loud  _ noise. _ It sounded like bells chiming, mixed with music. The Harold Giant sighed, moved his hand to grab the source of the sound; a black, rectangular box.

**"Yellow!"** Harold said, speaking into the black box. The bugs could hear Tess screaming from inside. 

"Oh Wyrm, did he use magic to trap Tess inside that box?!" Quirrel asked. "That's powerful stuff!"

**"Hi there, Tess. I was wondering when you'd call."** Harold continued. A pause, more screams from Tess.  **"Are they safe? Why would that matter? They're fine! They're in an enclosure."** Another pause.  **"No I'm not bringing them back. Hey, you should thank me! Maybe I'll even include you in my paper!"**

He tossed the black box onto the other large seat nearby, and the bugs breathed a sigh of relief from not being spotted. "New plan. Quirrel, Myla, go get that black box and try to free Tess Giant."t from inside. Maybe she can help.”

“How are we supposed to do that?!” Quirrel hissed.

Hornet began to climb as the others snuck down to Harold’s legs. “Figure it out!” She hissed back.

The two climbed to the top of the enormous chair, standing on the shoulder. "Ready?" She asked, pulling out her nail and preparing to throw it into the flesh of Harold's neck.

Ghost nodded, nail already at the ready. Hornet took a deep breath and threw her needle as hard as she could, letting out a loud war cry.  _ "SHAW!" _

The needle sunk deep into Harold's neck and the giant screamed in pain. Ghost dashed over, using the mantis claw to cling onto a fleshy part on the side of Harold's head - an ear, not that they knew what that was.

Harold's pained shouts let the other bugs know to attack as well. Some thick clothing protected  _ most _ of the giant's legs, but not all of it. Tiso used his shield and his teeth to try to cut through the flesh, and Cloth cared not for where her club hit, just hitting as much as she could.

Hollow didn't aim for his legs, moving over to the giant's foot. Raising their nail high, they stabbed through right through the shoe and into the foot.

Harold yelped again, the stag swerving wildly.  **"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"** He bellowed, trying to see the tiny assailants.

Quirrel and Myla, meanwhile, struggled with the black box with Tess imprisoned inside. "Don't worry, Miss Tess! We'll free you!" He assured her, looking over the box.

"W-What should we do?" Myla asked, standing on it.

The black box began to glow green and make the noises from before, displaying strange symbols on the surface. "Quirrel! W-What do I do?!" She squeaked, hopping up and down on the surface.

Quirrel looked over the strange symbols, seeing a big green button in the middle. "Well let's try this-"

Harold finally looked over to his phone, seeing Quirrel and Myla.  **“How did you escape?!”** He demanded, reaching over for them.

He didn’t get anywhere close before Hornet ripped out her needle and threw it at their hand. The needle embedded itself into Harold’s hand and he screamed, the stag swerving wildly.

Pressing the button, Quirrel immediately heard Tess screaming. “Harold! You better turn right around-”

“Ah! Miss Tess!” Quirrel said into the box. “How did he trap you in here?!”

“Wha...Quirrel? Is that you?!” How did you get Harold’s phone?! Are you guys OK!?” She asked, sounding very surprised.

“W-We escaped! And now we’re fighting back!” Myla cheered. “I’m miffed by all this!”

Tess was clearly caught off guard by this and stammered for a minute, pausing during Harold’s screams and yelps of pain. Hollow had found a sliver of flesh not protected by clothing on the legs and stabbed it furiously. “F-Fighting back? Alright, well, listen. I’ve called the Police, er, they’re like Knights? They’re looking for Harold’s...carriage? I don’t know how a car would translate in your world.”

“Ah! Knights! They’ll help us, right?” Quirrel asked. “What should we do?” Harold’s carriage swerved, and he had to catch Myla before she tumbled off and into the unknown crevices.

“Yes! But you guys need to be back in the enclosure. They’ll get you guys, give them back to me, and I’ll release you guys.” She instructed. “If you hear loud sirens, and see red and blue lights, that’s them. That’s when you stop attacking Harold and go back inside.”

“Right!” Quirrel tapped some glowing buttons on the box. “Now how can we free you from this magic box?”

Tess laughed. “Don’t worry about that! I can uh, free myself! Just keep those eyes and ears open, and give Harold a good walloping!”

The box went silent, and Myla frowned. “Ears?”

* * *

Officer Wylie turned off the police radio. “I uh, just got a report of bug theft?”

His partner, Officer Redd, frowned. “What the hell is bug theft?”

“I don’t know?” Wylie said, sounding unsure. “I think one bug scientist stole specimens from another bug scientist?”

“I think they’re called entomologists.” She gently corrected. “I still don’t get it, there are bugs everywhere!”

Wylie squinted at the report. “Well, we’re on the lookout for a 2002 grey honda civic-”

Roaring past them on the sleepy road was a 2002 grey honda civic, the driver screaming and swerving all over the (thankfully) empty road. The officer’s jaw dropped. “Was….was that-?” Redd asked in disbelief.

Officer Wylie turned the siren on. “Bug stealer? Who knows. Reckless driver? Absolutely. Let’s go get him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAROLD WILL RUE THE DAY HE GAVE HORNET LEMONS


End file.
